Product Description

Two brothers, one a bull rider and the other a rodeo clown, compete for the love of the same woman.
Genre: Feature Film-Action/Adventure
Rating: PG13
Release Date: 3-AUG-2004
Media Type: DVD

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #8899 in DVD
• Brand: SUTHERLAND,KIEFER
• Released on: 2002-09-03
• Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .25 pounds
• Running time: 105 minutes

From the Back Cover
"Cowboy Up" is a celebration of the risk-taking, daredevil personalities of modern rodeo. In the world of professional bull riding, new comer Ely Braxton (Marcus Thomas) is the craziest guy around; his brother Hank (Keifer Sutherland) is a rodeo clown, and the two use each other to play up their acts. But love may be the one thing that tears the brothers apart. When Ely falls for the rodeo's sweetheart (Daryl Hannah), Hank if filled with jealousy and hatred. The brothers try to come to grips with their differences, but the competion gets as fierce as the bulls in the ring.

Customer Reviews

Two brothers, one bull
The marketers positioned this movie as a love triangle between sibling rodeo cowboys (Kiefer Sutherland and Marcus Thomas) and a girl (Daryl Hannah), which is about as wide of the mark as missing the broad side of a barn. The key character who drives these brothers apart is their father, a champion bull rider, long retired, and long absent from their lives, played terrifically in a cameo performance by British actor Pete Postlethwaite. The old man gave all his attention to the one who took after him and scorned the other, who had the more tender heart. Then he left home, at the wrong end of a shotgun, pointed at him by the boys' mother, played wonderfully by Melinda Dillon. But his impact continues to be felt.

Both boys grow up to become bullriders, like their father. Only one (Sutherland) opts out and turns his talents to being a rodeo clown (bull fighter) and raising rodeo stock, specifically a fierce bull that no cowboy can ride. Like the old man, the bull does his damage, but not before one of them has suffered a near-fatal accident after being named Rookie of the Year and then returns to the circuit against the wishes of brother, mother, and girlfriend (Molly Ringwald). Celia (Daryl Hannah), a barrel racer figures in there rather briefly as one of several things that estrange the two brothers. There's also pill popping, groupies, and angry outbursts. The two men are finally reunited and reconciled at the national bullriding finals in Las Vegas.

From what I know of rodeoing, and it's not extensive, the representation of life on the circuit is pretty accurate. The slow motion photography used to heighten the dramatic tension during the rides is realistic only if you think of it from the perspective of the riders themselves, for whom eight seconds can surely seem close to an eternity. There's some depth to the script, and scenes are played in a way that let the characters seem more three-dimensional than your usual cowboy-hero movie. Sutherland, in fact, is interesting to watch as a self-conscious man who goes all clumsy around a woman he'd like to impress. Thomas needs only to look lean, a little haunted, and good in a pair of wranglers to convey the troubled, driven man who cannot stay away from a sport that has already nearly killed him. And he does all that nicely.

Compared to a rodeo movie like "8 Seconds," about real-life bullrider Lane Frost, this one is not so predictable, a little grittier, less sentimental, and it doesn't go overboard in glamorizing rodeo. Here, for instance, the lovers split up and stay that way. In Garth Brooks words, "that damned old rodeo" takes its toll on everyone.

COWBOY UP DVD REVIEW 09/07/02
Well the long awaited release of this movie has come and gone with little recognition other than a few rodeo related websites. The movie is the best portrayl of bull riding by hollywood I have seen. I do feel like the film walks an edge with some of the lingo they use, but its as close to the real thing as I've seen.
The plot is alright yet the charicters are fairly deep. As far Marcus Thomas goes playing Ely Braxton, he lacks a real believable connection as a bull rider. He comes across as an un inspired, directionless, careless, dare devil with no real reason to ride bulls other than to irrate those around him.
Kiefer Sutherland gives a good performance as the older bullfighter brother Hank Braxton. Molly Ringwald is good as the girlfriend of Ely.
Overall the movie is good. The action shots with bulls is alright and the pace of the movie is slow but not boring. As far as true-to-the-sport goes it gets pretty close, yet has enough to keep the un-intiated entertained.
If you don't mind spending about [price]on it, its a good movie, but if your expecting to get a masterpiece, save your money.

a simple twist of fate
I enjoyed seeing other dimensions of Darryl Hannah, Kiefer Sutherland and Molly Ringwald. The experience was like looking into a parallel dimension. I also enjoyed learning about the world of bull riding (even if fictionalized). In my opinion the star is Marcus Thomas whose performance makes the show a lot more than Hollywood Does Country. I also enjoyed the little touches of country living authenticity like Connie's home and the ranch. The pace of the story let me take in all the details. There's enough bull riding, fighting and intrigue for variation. I enjoyed the slow motion. I've watched TV bull riding events and it's over too fast to really see anything. I recommend this for couple viewing. A nice romance, a good ending and some necessary roughness. Oh, and good music.